Five years ago people didn’t know what a “sanctions lawyer” was, but now there is a growing demand among general counsel for outside legal expertise on trade sanction risks, according to Kirkland & Ellis partner Zachary Brez.

“When U.S. economic sanctions just involved Cuba and North Korea since 1996, multinational companies weren’t that affected,” said Brez, who works in the government and internal investigations group in Kirkland’s New York City office. “But add China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela, and suddenly it matters.” The latter countries are recent targets of U.S. sanction activity.